title: Probing the audience of seniors' online communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Participation in online communities that are dedicated to older adults is a significant trend in elders' use of the Internet. The present study aimed to explore the audience of these communities and to discover possible subsegments within that audience and the differences among them.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was based on an online survey of 218 members of 16 English language-based seniors' online communities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis demonstrated that the audience of the communities is not homogeneous, as 3 segments of community members were identified: information swappers, aging-oriented, and socializers. These groups differed in their interests, background characteristics, and participation patterns. In addition, results indicated significant differences between the groups in perceived benefits. The socializers were those who reported the highest level of gratification. The aging-oriented reported more "companionship" than the information swappers, and the latter reported more "joyfulness" than the aging-oriented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggested that members of seniors' online communities actively select community contents that best meet their psychosocial needs and use the communities interchangeably with other media and activities. Such purposeful use of the communities becomes an integral part of the strategies they utilize in order to cope with later life circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Studies and The Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. gnimrod@bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Galit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nimrod
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Audience research; Coping; Internet; Online communities; Successful aging.